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Leaked images reveal butch S-Class AMG

The 6.3-litre version of Mercedes’new S-Class is production ready, as this official image leaked from inside Mercedes shows.

Autocar.co.uk revealed official pictures of the standard S-Class last month, but the new car’s lines appear much more successful in the high-performance AMG incarnation. The extended arches appear muscular rather than bloated with the addition of a deep front air dam, sill extensions and fat 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels. Though we have yet to see a rear view, expect the deeper rear bumper to feature AMG’s trademark quartet of tailpipes.

The sportiest S-class uses a normally-aspirated, high-revving V8 in place of the current car’s supercharged unit, with capacity boosted from 5.4 to 6.3 litres to compensate. It powers the rear wheels through Mercedes’ 7G-Tronic seven-speed gearbox. Codenamed M156 E63, the V8’s power output is as yet unconfirmed, but the engine will come in a variety of tunes depending on application. Like the existing unit it will find its way into a variety of cars, including the AMG version of the new M-Class 4x4. As for the S-Class, expect an improvement over the current S55 AMG’s 500bhp.

The AMG isn’t the only bit of new S-class information to trickle out of Stuttgart. We have also uncovered images showing the complex-looking Command console – Mercedes’ answer to BMW’s iDrive – along with the new night vision system, Distronic cruise control and twin sunroofs. Check out our image gallery to see them all.

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